Damaged Roses
by Unstable Firestarter
Summary: Two orphans from the Meteor Incident find themselves targeted by the Remnants.  Following is a battle of life and death as Lynx's kidnapped, rescued, and fighting for her sister as well as her own heart when she falls in love with some one she shouldn't.  Kadaj/OC.
1. Abduction

**A/N:** I know; another story. I just have lots of them. I had this idea for a while, but got serious writers block and didn't work on it for almost a year. Hence why I don't think this first chapter is very good compared to say, chapters four and five so far. This is old material right now, so it's kinda rusty. It also has a very dark theme in some later chapters, dealing with a subject I despise, but it's crucial to the story line. And I know, I still suck at summaries. But, I hope you all like this. It took forever for me to get back into writing, and I'm sorry it was soooo long. I've missed writing.

**Summary:** Two orphaned sisters from the Meteor Incident find themselves targeted by the Sephiroth Remnants for the Reunion, but Lynx refuses to let them take her baby sister. What follows is a long battle of life and death as she's kidnapped, rescued, and still fighting for her sister while fighting a battle just as strong in her own heart when she falls in love with some one she shouldn't.

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**Chapter One – "Abduction"**

Lynx prowled down another side street in Midgar, searching for her baby sister. She couldn't find her anywhere, and she was starting to worry. She hadn't seen Phaerie for close to an hour now, and that wasn't like her. Even though Lynx's baby sister was only nine, she knew well enough not to wander the streets alone. Times were hard, and since their parents had been killed in the Meteor Incident, they'd been on their own. Lynx knew something had been up recently; people had been on edge, there'd been talk about missing children. And so in turn, it had set her on edge.

The seventeen year old turned down a dingy alley, her heart racing in her ears because of her fear for her sister. Up ahead, in the next street, there was a lot of movement, and something about it set off her sixth sense. She slowed up, stepping carefully around a puddle, and paused on the other side of a large dumpster. She could hear voices from ahead, a small voice, like a child, that sounded familiar, but it was the other voice that really caught her attention. Totally unfamiliar, young, some one around her age maybe, silky, with a dangerous purr. And there was an insane undertone that sent a shiver down her spine.

Sneaking forward a few more steps, she saw that the voices belonged to her own baby sister, and a stranger she'd never seen before. The man had his back to the alley where Lynx stood, and so all she could see of him was his shoulder length silver hair, black leather outfit, and sword strapped to his hip. She narrowed her eyes as she gazed at him, already labeling him as bad news. Bad news that was trying to coax her baby sister into an open backed truck.

Reaching her hands into the pockets of her faded black hoodie, she slid her fingers through the rings of her bladed brass knuckles. The blades were curved like half moons, and only a few inches in height from the actual knuckles. Striding forward with a sudden air of confidence, she kept her hands in her pockets to hide the fact that she was armed. She was used to the rough and tumble life of living on the streets, and she wasn't afraid to protect what family she had-but it didn't mean she went around looking for violence.

"Is there some kind of problem?" she asked, walking out from the alley.

The silver haired stranger turned at the sound of her voice, silent a moment as he gazed at her. He was probably taking in her ratty appearance; scuffed boots, torn jeans, a tank top a few sizes too small, an old, faded hoodie, and a black skull cap that she had her hair curled up beneath, out of sight. Compared to him, so sleek and beautiful, she _really_ looked like a street rat. The way he just kept studying her made her uneasy, and his silence annoyed her.

"I asked you a-" she started, but he cut her off.

"No problem," he said with a low purr that made her shudder a little, "Now why don't you run along, hm?"

She realized with annoyance that his tone was as if he were speaking to a child. "I'll be taking my sister with me," Lynx said, walking forward.

He sidestepped smoothly to stand between her and Phaerie. "Your sister's going to be coming with me," he said.

Her heart began pounding again at his words. Who was this guy? And what did he want with Phaerie? "Can't let you do that," she insisted, shaking her head.

She moved to go around him again, and suddenly, as quick as lightning, he was coming towards her. Surprised, she back stepped, pulling her hands from her jacket pockets. On instinct, she slashed the blades on her brass knuckles in his general direction, not really intending to hit him. He dodged easily and came at her again from the side. She turned, swinging one hand forward in a move that would slice open the side of his pale face if it hit. He ducked below the attack and drove one fist into her stomach. Stunned by the viciousness of the blow, she stumbled back, nearly losing her balance. It took a moment for her to regain her breath though.

"You're a feisty one," he said, watching her through the veil of silver hair that hung across his face.

"I just…want my sister," Lynx gasped, still trying to shake off the blow.

"But we need her," he said, his tone lower, a little dreamy almost, "For the Reunion."

Reunion? What the hell was he talking about? What did Phaerie have to do with any of this?

In the second that she was pondering this, he slipped up close to her and aimed an open handed blow to her face. A blow that would shatter her nose and possibly even kill her if it landed. Reacting just in time, she dropped down and rolled to the side. Springing back up to her feet again, she slashed both knuckle blades down towards his shoulder. In the blink of an eye, he had once more dodged the blow and landed a spinning kick to her ribs that stole her breath away again and sent her stumbling back.

Her head connected with the brick wall of an old building, and she felt her knees start to buckle. Suddenly, he was right in front of her, sliding one hand around her neck and lifting her into the air. Disorientated, she struggled anyway, kicking her feet out violently. He was a lot faster than she'd expected, and apparently a lot stronger too, considering his size. He slammed her head back against the wall and she fell limp as pain exploded down her spine. She blinked, desperately fighting back the black butterflies that danced in front of her eyes.

"Now, since you've been such an annoyance," the silver haired stranger said, "I should just kill you, but…" he paused, tilting his head to the side.

Her whole body was tingling, slightly numb, and it was stopping her from fighting back, even her instincts were screaming at her to. She had to protect Phaerie from this madman…but she was finding it hard to breathe.

"But…" he repeated thoughtfully, "I think you just might be useful." He chuckled a little and the sound chilled her.

Suddenly turning, he flung her through the air towards the truck, where she smashed into the wooden planks and slid until she hit the back of the cab. She winced, but had no breath to utter a sound of pain before her consciousness slipped from her grasp.

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She didn't know how much time had passed when she realized that she was awake, but she did know that all she could feel was pain. Pain and rocks beneath her, and a cool breeze sweeping over her. Voices drifted to her then, distorted by the wind.

"…Take…children…to the city. You take…street rat…"

She realized with a troubled frown that she knew that voice; it was _him_, the one after Phaerie. She stirred a little, but didn't make a sound or open her eyes; she didn't want them to know that she was awake.

There was another voice speaking now, low and smooth like velvet, and yet so very cold.

"Do you…she'll be…use?"

Dammit, only catching every other word was frustrating her; what were they talking about? Who were they? What did they want with the kids and where were they taking them?

"I think so, Yazoo."

The first full line that she'd heard. So the second speaker must be this…Yazoo? There was the sound of an engine starting, and wheels skidding on the gravel. The sound swiftly faded out, but despite this, she knew that she wasn't alone. To confirm this, she suddenly felt a boot digging into her stomach to shove her over onto her back. She winced, finally opening her eyes to find herself gazing up at the dusty blue sky-and a figure. Tall and intimidating, wearing a black leather outfit under a long black leather trench coat. Long, sleek silver hair framing a face she couldn't quite make out. And there was some kind of stylish fire arm at his side.

She blinked the dust from her eyes, her body sore from being thrown around, and made no attempt to get up. Seeming impatient, the figure crouched down beside her and grabbed her by the neck. Standing, he dragged her to her feet as he gazed down at her. He had the most amazing eyes, so unreal. Blue-green cat's eyes, vibrant and sparking with a dangerous kind of power. She shivered a little under his intense gaze, but remained silent.

"He says that you might be useful," he said, his voice low and mocking, "Says you'll help us find Mother."

His voice…so this was Yazoo. But what was he talking about? Nothing made any sense to her.

"What are you talking about?" she said, voicing her thoughts out loud as she struggled a little.

"He wants you to find out what they know about Mother," he continued, seeming oblivious to her comment.

"Who're they? Where's my sister, who're _you_?" Lynx demanded, trying to pull away from him.

"They…" he repeated, "…Cloud." There was a mix of anger and sadness almost in his voice when he spoke.

The name sounded faintly familiar to her, but in general meant nothing. Her heart pounding, she started to reach her hands down to her pockets. "Where's my sister, what's going on?" she demanded again boldly.

With a soft growl of annoyance, he moved his gloved hand to the back of her neck, and drew his gun with his other. He pressed the barrels under her chin and she flinched at the touch of the cold metal.

"You ask too many questions," he said quietly, tilting his head to the side.

A tremor of fear racing through her, she dipped her hands into her pockets only to find them empty. Of course. Of course these psychos had taken her weapons. "It-it's a curse," she said, her voice shaking a little.

"Shut up," he purred, pressing the barrels harder against her skin.

She couldn't stop a soft whimper from escaping her lips as this as her heart jumped. No, she couldn't die, not here, not now, not before she saved Phaerie.

"You're going to do what I say, what Kadaj wishes, or else-" Yazoo started.

But she interrupted him, letting her tongue slip again, "Who the hell is-"

"Or else," he continued over her, his long fingers digging painfully into her scalp even through her black skull cap, "I will not hesitate to kill your sister myself."

Lynx fell completely silent at his words, a chill filling her. Why couldn't she have shut up? Why did her rough and tumble attitude from living on the streets for the past two years have to make her so bold?

"So now you're cooperative," he said with a twisted chuckle.

"If you hurt my sister in any way, I swear-" she started fiercely, blinking back tears.

"I told you to shut up," Yazoo said, "Now we're going back to Midgar, and you're going to find out what big brother knows."

She was silent for a long moment this time, choosing her words carefully. "And if I can't?" she asked.

He seemed to consider this for a minute. "Let's just say you won't like the result," he said, brushing his thumb across her cheek.

Shivering, she tried to pull away from his touch, but of course she couldn't.

"Do you understand?" he asked.

She was silent as she gazed at him, narrowing her eyes.

"Do you understand?" he repeated more fiercely, forcing her head back with the muzzle of his gun.

"Yes!" she said finally, a tremor racing through her.

Seeming satisfied with her answer, he holstered his gun and released her neck to grab her by the wrist. "Come," he said simply, not that she had much of a choice as he dragged her along behind him.

Though she took this opportunity to look around, to regain her bearings. They were out on the plains, not far from Midgar. In fact, she could see the city in the distance. She could also see the motorcycle that he was dragging her towards, and instinctively tried to draw back. He didn't even pause though, only let go of her wrist for a bare second to mount his motorcycle, and then was pulling her on behind him. She didn't want to touch him, but when he started the engine and took off, she had no choice but to hold onto him. He drove at break neck speed, and as they raced toward Midgar once more, she feared for her life for the third time that day.


	2. Phaerie

**A/N:** Thank you for the review! Reviews make me happy! Some parts of this story seem a little rough to me still, like some how I'm messing up the Remnant's characters, but I don't know, maybe I'm just being too hard on myself, hehe.

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**Chapter Two – "Phaerie"**

Lynx had been thinking of a plan of escape during their whole race to the city, but now that they were there, and she was shivering from the chill wind, she hadn't managed to come up with anything. She didn't even know where they were going, where this madman was taking her, until she saw the angel statue. Seventh Heaven bar? What was there? Though as she thought over what he'd said before, maybe it made a little sense. The people he'd mentioned…they…Cloud…find out what they knew about Mother…

She broke from her thoughts as she realized that they were slowing down.

They'd barely come to a stop before he was standing beside the motorcycle and once more pulling her with him.

"Now what?" she asked, so puzzled that she didn't pull away from him.

"Now," Yazoo echoed, turning back to her, "You're going to do what you've been told."

And that was the last thing she remembered before he backhanded her across the face, leaving her unconscious on the doorstep of Seventh Heaven bar.

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Lynx awoke with a metallic taste in her mouth, and for a moment she couldn't remember the cause. When she did though, she groaned quietly. Upon opening her eyes, she found herself gazing up at an unfamiliar ceiling. Her heart racing, she sat up, looking around; an unfamiliar bed, an unfamiliar room. She frowned a little; where was she? It was then that she heard voices drifting to her, and recognized one of them-Tifa, the bartender of Seventh Heaven.

She sat up slowly, raising a hand to her face where her cheek had split. Her gaze flickered to the closed door for a moment, and then she rose to her feet. Her hair tumbled down around her shoulders, and she noticed her skull cap lying on the bedside table. As she went to grab it, she happened to look up into the mirror hanging on the wall. A pair of fiery blue eyes gazed back at her out of her own pale face. Her red-blonde hair fell in stringy waves down to a few inches past her shoulders, and there was a bruise blossoming across her left cheek. Turning her head to the side, she saw the shallow cut running across her forehead, just below her hair line. But it had been tended to, as well as her bruise.

Twisting her hair up, she jammed her skull cap back down on her head, pulling it low over her forehead. Remembering that she was here for a reason, Lynx walked over to the door and eased it open silently. A hallway greeted her, and she left the door open to creep down the hallway towards the voices. Stopping, she pressed against the wall to listen.

"What are we going to do, Cloud?" a woman sighed. Tifa. Lynx recognized her voice from the times she'd been in the bar.

There was a long pause of silence, then, finally, a reply.

"I don't know." A quiet, strong voice. A voice that she actually found faintly familiar.

This voice…Cloud…some one she had seen in the bar perhaps? Or maybe…no. She couldn't figure it out just yet.

"And what about that poor girl?" Tifa said, "Kadaj's probably responsible for that."

There was a sigh. "I know. But I still need to find out more about what they're after," Cloud said, "From Shinra."

From upstairs, Lynx shook her head. They didn't sound like they knew anything useful. At least, not what she'd been sent to find out. And they also didn't sound like they could help her. Which meant this was a waste of time, that she was once more alone in this. Turning, she walked back down the hall and into the room where she'd woken up. She eased the door shut behind her and went over to the window. It was twilight out, she noticed as she slid the window open.

Stepping out onto the rusted metal fire escape, she left the window open. She needed to get back to her place, needed to collect her thoughts so that she could figure out how to save her sister. She dropped down into the alley below and began a weaving path through the streets. She reached another alley that was divided by a chain link fence, and prepared to climb over it, as this way was a short cut to her destination.

But suddenly, there was movement behind her. Some one grabbed her by the shoulders and flung her against the brick wall of the alley. Caught off guard, she struggled to keep her balance as she raised her hands to stop herself from smashing face first into the wall. Disorientated, she started to turn, but her attacker spun her around and shoved her back against the chain link fence. It was as she heard the click of a gun that she could finally look up and see who her attacker was. But when she saw the black leather and silver hair, she almost wished that she hadn't decided to leave the bar.

"Just where did you think you were going?" Yazoo asked in an annoyed tone, his Velvet Nightmare centered at her chest.

"You're not my keeper," Lynx shot back boldly as she regained her composure.

Her comment was rewarded with a humorless chuckle. "Ever so bold," he said quietly, "But tell me; what have you found out?"

"They don't know anything," she replied, "It was a waste of time."

He gazed at her for a moment. "I knew you would be useless," he said at last, "Do you remember what I said would happen?"

He side stepped and she saw, near the end of the alley…Phaerie. And holding onto her arm…was the first silver haired psycho she'd run into. Kadaj, was his name possibly? Her heart began to pound double fold, and when Yazoo swung Velvet Nightmare around to aim at Phaerie, Lynx's eyes widened.

"No!" she shouted, leaping forward.

Moving faster than her, he turned again and struck her across the face with his gunblade. The sharp edge along the top cut into her cheek and left a long slash just below her right eye. Reeling backward from the blow and from the pain, she grabbed onto the chain link fence to hold herself up. He struck her a second time, dealing a punch to her stomach that doubled her over and left her gasping. Faintly, through the ringing in her ears, she could hear her sister crying her name. Struggling to catch her breath, Lynx raised her head to see Yazoo aiming at Phaerie again.

"No!" Lynx managed, gritting her teeth at the helplessness of her situation, "Don't hurt her; please…I'll do anything…"

"Wait," she heard the other-Kadaj?-say, and Yazoo complied, though she could tell that he was smirking.

"Anything?" Kadaj echoed, releasing Phaerie and walking towards Lynx.

She prayed that her sister would run, but the girl only stood there, rooted in place, as Yazoo walked over to her to ensure that she didn't escape.

"Yes," Lynx said dully, straightening up a little more.

"There's a lot you could do," Kadaj said, stopping in front of her.

When she saw his expression, the look in his eyes, her stomach churned. A flare of anger racing through her, she pushed away from the fence to launch a kick at him. He merely sidestepped, and slapped her across the face. The blow snapped her head back, and she lost her balance as she stumbled. She hit the fence and slid down to the pavement, stars exploding before her vision.

As she sat there limply, like a doll that had been dropped, she felt tears stinging her eyes. No, she thought as she desperately fought them back, she would _not_ cry in front of these madmen.

"Come now, doll," Kadaj said softly, crouching down in front of her, "I was only joking."

He brushed his thumb across her cheek, wiping away some of the blood from her wound. Pulling her head back, she moved to slap his hand away, but he caught her wrist, smearing blood from his glove onto her jacket. However, instead of hurting her like she expected him to do, he pulled her gently to her feet, putting his other hand on her shoulder to help her keep her balance. She flinched away from his touch though, surprised, frightened, and still angry.

"Yazoo, take her back to the Capital," he said, "I have some business to take care of."

"Phaerie. What about Phaerie?" Lynx asked, longing to hold her sister but unable to pull away.

"Don't worry doll, Loz will take care of her. She'll be fine." There was actually something comforting about the way he said it, something that she almost wanted to believe. Almost.

"Oh, and brother?" he added as he led Lynx towards Yazoo

"Yes, Kadaj?" Yazoo replied, perfectly respectable to his younger brother.

"Don't break her," he said, pushing Lynx towards him.

Yazoo caught her by the shoulders, tilting his head to the side. After a moment, he nodded, and she didn't like the look in his eyes when he replied to Kadaj.

"I'll try not to."


	3. Damaged

**A/N:** WARNING NOW: this is a pretty dark, abusive chapter. Just saying. It wasn't easy to write either. This is where the mature rating comes into need.

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**Chapter Three – "Damaged"**

He drove so recklessly, that she had to concern herself more with hanging on than planning ways to escape. She half wished that he would just crash along the way to where ever he was taking her, but she wasn't so lucky. After a while, she started to block out everything, focusing just on plans of escape. Before she came up with anything though, they reached their apparent destination.

She opened her wind stung eyes slowly, blinking rapidly for a moment. When she could finally see, the sight of the forest of pearly white trees awed her. They were so beautiful, just like the deep, clear spring and the large, conch-shell shaped building. For a moment, the idea of escaping left her as she took in the foreign sights. Sliding off the motorcycle, she stood beside it and gazed around at the pearly trees, marveling at how they even seemed to glow.

"Beautiful, is it not?"

His low, velvety voice made her flinch, and she looked over at him. However, she refused to answer him.

Yazoo chuckled, shaking his head a little, and took her by the wrist. "Come."

Not that she had much of a choice, as he dragged her along behind him towards the building.

"Do you have a name, girl?" he asked her once they were inside.

"It's Lynx," she replied.

As he released her wrist, she suddenly sprang into action, leaping into a kick aimed at his back. At the last minute though, he ducked to the side, evading the attack, and grabbed her by the shoulders. Shoving her back against the curving wall, he held her there with his body against hers.

"That wasn't nice, Lynx," he said quietly, gazing down at her.

"Let go!" she demanded through gritted teeth, raising a hand.

He caught her wrist lightning quick, preventing her from pushing him away. "Now, now," he said chidingly.

Frustrated and frightened, she raised her other hand, but he stopped her again. Hoping to catch him off guard, she slammed her forehead against his. As stars exploded before her eyes, he stumbled back a step, growling.

"Don't force me to hurt you," he threatened, throwing her across the room.

She hit the floor with a grunt, rolling a few times before managing to scramble to her feet. As she tried to make a break for the entrance though, he stopped her short by grabbing her around the neck. She struggled, clawing at his gloved hand and lashing out with a few sharp kicks that she was sure caught him in the shins.

"Just let me go," she said, "All I want is my sister back."

Gazing at her, Yazoo tilted his head to the side, "But Kadaj said to keep you here."

She uttered a noise of frustration, trying to break his grip on her neck, but he was too strong. He pushed her back against the wall again, brushing his free hand across her cheek. She was finding it a little hard to breathe, and the slight lack of oxygen made her light headed, weak. However, when she felt his hand roaming across her chest, a sudden jolt of fear raced through her. She kicked out with all her might, felt her foot connect with something solid. Pain flashed through his green cat's eyes, and he backhanded her across the face. He released her and she tumbled to the floor, gasping in breaths. Furious now though, she lashed out once more, managing to kick him in the shin again before he could react.

"Bastard," she growled, rising swiftly to her feet and wiping away the blood from her split lip.

His reaction surprised her though; despite that he was glaring at her, he stood there passively. "Have it your way then," he said, his voice low and dangerous.

She didn't have any time to react to avoid the punch that he suddenly threw at her, and so his fist connected solidly with her shin, snapping her head back and knocking her off her feet. The impact as she crashed into the ground stole her breath away, disorientating her. He dropped to his knees, pinning her arms to her sides as he sat across her.

"It makes it so much more amusing when you try to fight anyway," he added with a purr.

Glaring furiously up at him, she started to speak, but he put one gloved hand over her mouth. She struggled violently, trying to think of some way to free herself as he unzipped her jacket. He kept her down easily though, and she was briefly reminded of the strength his brother possessed, the strength that allowed him to throw her around like a rag doll. As he grabbed at her breasts through her tank top, she struggled harder. Having a sudden idea, she brought her legs up to hook her feet on his shoulders. Wrenching to the side, she managed to knock him off balance enough to free her hands. She punched him hard across the face, snapping his head to the side, and then punched him again. The second blow split his cheek, drawing blood, and distracted him long enough for her to shove him over. Scrambling to her feet, she kicked him in the side, shaking with anger.

"Keep your fucking hands off me," she snarled.

She turned to race out the door, but he lashed a kick at her ankle. Yelping in pain, she fell as her leg buckled. She tried to catch herself, but the effort was futile. She bit her tongue when her head connected with the floor and as the taste of blood filled her mouth, she winced. As she tried to get to her feet again, limping now, he grabbed her by the back of her jacket,

"I'll do as I please," he responded.

Before she had a chance to react, he flung her across the room where she crashed into the stairs, inhaling sharply as pain spiked through her body. She tried to get up, but her legs had gone temporarily numb. Her vision was slightly hazy as she watched him walking towards her. She couldn't quite tell what he was doing, but she knew that it couldn't be good. She winced when he leaned one knee on her chest to hold her down, the force sparking pain through her ribs. She tried to fight him, but he easily pushed her hands away.

When she saw what he was holding though-one of the long black leather straps from his attire-she tried harder to push him away. Of course, it was of no use, and he finally succeeded in slipping the looped strap around her neck. He pulled it tight, until she could barely breathe, and his face, framed by his long, silver hair, was fading in and out of her vision. It was when her arms fell limply to her sides that he loosened it, and she gasped in air. Able to breathe again, she wanted to yell and curse at him, but she needed the air, and so didn't.

As he got off of her, he pulled her up with him. She slipped a little on the stairs when he pushed her back against the wall, but he held her there by pressing a knee between her legs. Her heart pounding in her ears, she struggled against him, but he just tightened the strap around her neck, restricting her ability to breathe. Even as she raised her hands in a weak attempt to push him away, he was leaning down to kiss her hard on the lips. He lifted his free hand to her chin, forcing her mouth open, and slid his velvet soft tongue between her lips. Whimpering softly, she tried to turn her head away, but he wouldn't let her.

The only thing she could be grateful for was that his hands were busy with holding her still. Though she was afraid of what would happen later.

Finally, he broke the kiss, and when he pulled back, she sucked in breaths of air. Stars were still dancing before her eyes, but they were beginning to fade the more air she got. Studying her face intently, he suddenly reached up and pulled her skull cap off. Freed, her red-blonde hair tumbled in stringy waves around her shoulders. Throwing her cap aside, he traced his hand down the side of her face.

"…Beautiful…" he said, wrapping his fingers around her chin.

Pulling back swiftly, he turned and started upstairs. At first, she resisted, but when she did, it caused the strap around her neck to tighten until she couldn't breathe. So thus, she was forced to follow him as he pulled her along. Once they were at the top of the spiraling staircase however, she lashed out with a kick to the back of his knee. She started to pull away as he stumbled, but he recovered faster than she thought he would. He spun around, hitting her hard across the face. She reeled backward, but managed to stay on her feet.

"Don't do that again," was all he said, a dangerous expression in his vivid green cat's eyes.

Not that she could answer him much, with him practically choking her. She was forced to follow him like an abused puppy dog while he led her down the hall and into one of the rooms. And it was as the door slammed shut behind them that she was overwhelmed with a sense of dread.


	4. Recovery

**A/N: **I'm sorry this took a while to update. I got all caught up with an English research paper we started working on, and then Homecoming last weekend, that I just forgot about this for a little while. But, here's the next chapter, yay, kindness to poor Lynx. And thanks again for the reviews :) Reviews make me happy.

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**Chapter Four – Recovery**

It was many hours later that the door to the bedroom opened with a soft click. The silver haired figure stood in the doorway for a long moment, surveying the scene before him; clothes across the floor, blood stained sheets, a figure-Lynx-curled up in a ball on the bed, her back to the doorway. The strap that had been fastened around her neck was also tied around on the bed posts, and even in this gloom, he could see the long welts scratched down her back.

Uttering a pained sigh, he crossed the room quietly. Working deftly on untying the strap, he let his gaze slide to her. For a moment, he thought she was dead, but then he saw the gentle breaths stirring her body. She was a horrible mess; blood streaked across her skin so that he couldn't tell where she was wounded and where it was just smeared blood. Her ankle that he could see was bruised and swollen, as was one of her arms that she held cradled against her chest. Her eyes were closed, but that didn't make gazing upon her bruised and welted face any easier.

After untying the strap from the bed post, he paused a moment, knowing he would have to remove it from around her neck now, and wondered how much damage it had done. Pressing onward, he slowly unlooped the leather from her neck, half expecting her to throw a fit and start screaming at any second. However, she didn't move at all at his touch, not even a wince, even though there was a raw, bruised ring on her skin from the leather, and it would have to have hurt when he removed it.

He carefully wrapped the sheet around her and then gently lifted her in his arms. He tried to avoid the obvious wounds he'd seen, but it was hard, considering that he _had_ to put an arm around her shoulders. He thought he heard her whimper softly as he carried her limp, battered form out of the room and down the hall, but he couldn't be sure that he hadn't imagined it.

He carried her up yet another set of spiraling stairs into his room, and kicked the door closed softly behind him. He set her down gently on the bed, brushing a few locks of her blood streaked hair back from her face. It was the first time he'd seen her without her skull cap on, and as he gazed at her, he thought that, without the bruises across her face, and the blood in her hair, she'd be pretty.

As he was drawing his hand back, she suddenly moved. Her eyes snapped open, but it was the expression in them that slightly unnerved him; blank, vacant, as if she wasn't really seeing him. Like he wasn't there and she was gazing straight through him at the wall behind him. It was as if he'd awakened a slumbering zombie and he was now gazing into the eyes of the dead.

Forcing himself to turn away, he strode across the room, taking care to close the door behind him, before bounding angrily down the stairs into the upper hallway.

She blinked a few times, having been awakened by his presence. She wasn't quite in a state to understand what was happening. All she knew was that some one had covered her up and removed that horrible leather strap from around her neck. She couldn't believe the pain she felt now though. She wanted to scream, and she would have if her neck and throat didn't hurt so much, and if she wasn't so tired.

For a moment, she didn't know why her back hurt so much, but then she remembered. Remembered how he'd scratched bloody furrows down her back. He had such sharp nails, more than she'd expected. Just like his teeth had been so sharp and animalistic against her skin when he'd bitten her shoulder.

She flinched when she heard voices faintly from some where, and she wanted to run, but her body refused to obey her. All she could do was lay there, curled up pathetically.

"Dammit, Yazoo! I told you not to break her."

"She still breathes, doesn't she?"

There was a sharp sound, like a slap.

"You know I meant more than that."

"Yes, Kadaj…I'm sorry…"

"Don't defy me again."

"…Yes, Kadaj…"

And that was the end of it, the voices faded out, silence followed. Soon though, the silence was broken by soft footsteps. The door opened again, then shut. She wanted to curl up tighter, close her eyes, and pretend that she didn't exist. But she couldn't; once more her body refused to obey her. She could barely even blink; just stare ahead with unseeing eyes.

A shadow fell across her in the gloom, but she didn't move, didn't focus on its source. There was another long moment of silence, ringing as loud as any sound possibly could in her ears. Whatever he wanted, she wished that he would just go away. Nothing good could ever come from any of these three.

"Can you walk?" he asked, his voice soft and silken, as he remembered how bad her ankle had looked.

She merely blinked, gazing straight ahead at the wall.

"I know you can hear me," he continued.

She wanted to yell at him, wanted to tell him to get out and leave her alone, but she remained mute.

"If you want, you can take a bath. He won't bother you up here," he finished.

She was suddenly filled with anger, and wanted to scream at him, to demand to know why he cared. But her rage soon drained her last reserve of energy, and before she was actually away of it, she slipped into unconsciousness. She didn't know how long she slept, but it seemed like forever. Occasionally she would rise to near consciousness, and she thought there was some one in the room with her. However, she was never sure of this.

When she finally awoke though, she was alone. Her instincts immediately began screaming at her to move, to get up, and get out. But she could barely even comprehend what time of day it was, or how long she'd been asleep, let alone any plans of escape. Slowly, memories and thoughts came drifting into her mind. Something about her being safe, about taking a bath. It seemed almost like a dream, like she'd imagined it. But, she had a feeling that it _had _actually happened.

But…how was she supposed to take a bath, when just the _thought_ of moving hurt? Though…the idea of a bath _did_ appeal to her…it was the only thing she had to look forward to in living right now. And that was when she remembered Phaerie. The shocking realization that she'd forgotten about her sister sent a jolt through her. It made her angry too; how could she ever forget Phaerie? Her sister was the reason she'd gotten into all of this. The thought of her sister gave her strength, gave her back some of her will to move.

Slowly, she stirred, stretching out her cramped and bruised legs, wincing as she did so. Forcing herself to sit up, she let her blank gaze travel around the room. It was sparse, only the bed, a dresser that looked as if it hadn't been touched in years, a large curving window, and another door beside the bed. She didn't really process any of this information until she noticed her clothes lying folded neatly near the foot of the bed.

This made her stop. She merely sat there blinking at this sight for a few long moments before she understood what exactly she was seeing. He'd washed her clothes for her…why? Why had he done this? What would spur such an act of kindness from him? He was the one who had kidnapped her and her sister. It was his fault that all of this had happened to her.

With a heavy sigh that she soon regretted, she stood on weak legs, hugging the sheet around her shoulders, and reached for her clothes. Clutching them with her good arm, she made her way slowly into the other room, which turned out to be a large bathroom. Putting her clothes down on the counter, she made sure to firmly close and lock the door behind her. Turning on the faucet in the deep, spacious tub, she turned to the mirror, startled by her own reflection.

She let the sheet drop from around her shoulders, gazing slowly and solemnly at the bruises and wounds across her body. The one around her neck was particularly painful, and it looked it too. Unable to stand in front of the mirror for any longer, she turned away.

Having filled up the tub enough, she turned off the faucet and eased herself slowly into the water, wincing as it stung her wounds. Immersing herself up to her chin, she tilted her head back against the edge and closed her eyes. Here, alone in the silence, she finally allowed herself to cry.


	5. Compassion

**Chapter Five – "Compassion"**

After her bath and her emotional breakdown, she'd gotten dressed, minus her skull cap for now, and curled up on her side on the bed. It hurt to have anything touching her back, but if she didn't move too much, her clothes didn't bother her. Much. Due to her long fit of crying that not only left her throat even rawer and her chest aching, but completely drained her energy again, she passed out within seconds.

However, she must have been in a light sleep, because she was immediately aware of it when some one moved onto the bed behind her. Her eyes snapped open, and her fight-or-flight response kicked in. Uncurling her body, she moved to the edge, ready to get to her feet despite her painfully swollen ankle. Before she could though, a pair of arms wrapped gently around her shoulders.

"Shhh," he said soothingly, "I'm not going to hurt you."

She wasn't listening though; all she could think was that it was going to happen all over again, and she couldn't-wouldn't-let that happen. Despite the pain that it caused her battered body, she thrashed violently in an attempt to get away. The more she struggled though, the tighter he held onto her.

"Calm down, doll," he said softly, in another attempt to comfort her.

She still wasn't listening though. She wouldn't stop struggling until he let her go; she didn't want him to even touch her. He was persistent though, curling his body around hers until he had her fully immobilized. Finally giving up, she went limp, closing her eyes and fighting back unbidden tears.

"Shhh," he said again, brushing her hair back from her face.

She closed her eyes tighter, fighting so hard not to cry, and struggled briefly once more. He was too strong though, and she was utterly exhausted. She hated being helpless, hated knowing that she wouldn't be able to stop him from doing whatever he wanted to. But it wasn't like she had any other choice; she was worn from crying, and the pain ravaging her body again was sapping what little bit of strength she had left. Maybe he would take pity on her and just kill her quickly.

"Just relax," he said, loosening his hold on her a little so that he wasn't putting painful pressure on her wounds.

She would have screamed at him if she could have, but not only did her vocal cords refuse to obey, she had no strength. How was she supposed to relax? A violent shiver swept over her and despite that she tried to still herself, she had no control over it.

"It's alright," he whispered, stroking her hair.

She wanted to believe that things _would _be alright, that everything would work out, but she just couldn't believe it from _him._ She didn't trust him, despite his unusual display of kindness, or rather, because of it. She had no idea what his motivations or intentions were, she had no idea about _anything _relating to him. That is, despite his whole Reunion fascination.

"Just sleep doll; I'm not going to hurt you," he said again.

She wanted to scream and cry and beg, wanted to hit him over and over, wanted to demand to know why he was doing this. But instead, she dissolved into tears-yet again. He held her as she cried, not mocking her, not saying a word.

-----------------------------

When she opened her eyes, sunlight was streaming in through the window, and she was alone. Sitting up slowly, she winced. She was still so sore, and it hurt to move, but she forced herself to. Looking around, she noticed a sheath leaning against the wall beside the bed. She inclined her head slightly, studying it, and then reached for it.

As her fingers touched the sheath, she realized that this was _his _weapon. She traced her hands over the finger guard, touching the white and blue ribbons tied to either side. Gripping the hilt, she slowly pulled out the sword. Her eyes fell upon the gleaming double blades as she set the sheath aside on the bed. She'd never seen a sword with two blades like this before. Had never really seen a sword so perfect and sharp like this one was. It looked sharp enough to slice through her skin with a simple touch.

Placing the blades against the inside of her left wrist, she wondered idly if she should test their sharpness. Her mind flashed to Phaerie though, and she hesitated. She couldn't…she couldn't leave her sister all alone. But she had such an easy way out right here. Not much pain, just a quick cut and it would all be over.

As she was sitting there though, the door suddenly opened, causing her to flinch. The jerky movement made the blades bite into her skin, instantly drawing a bit of blood. Her expression was guilty along with being surprised as she looked up.

Kadaj stood in the doorway, just gazing at her for a moment as if he couldn't comprehend what he was seeing. Then he was moving, striding swiftly across the room. His anger as he slapped the sword out of her hand, sending it clattering across the floor, startled her.

"What the hell are you doing?" he demanded, grabbing her by the shoulders and dragging her to her feet.

Her eyes widened as she tried to push him away.

"Answer me!" he growled, shaking her.

She opened her mouth, wanting to tell him to let go, but could utter no sound.

"I thought you were a fighter. How could you ever consider such a thing?" he said, shaking her again.

Her continued silence seemed to infuriate him even more, and he raised a hand as if to strike her. Shrinking back, she did the only thing that she could think of; she slapped him. He froze at the blow, eyes widening slightly behind the veil of silver hair hanging across his face. He released her, and she immediately put some distance between them, scurrying around the bed as quickly as she could with her ankle, and curled up in the corner. He gave a pained sigh, and for a second she thought he was going to apologize, but of course he didn't.

"Come here," he said softly, walking around the bed towards her, "Let me see what you've done to yourself."

She didn't move, and he sighed again.

"I'm not going to hurt you, doll," he said, crouching down to be at her level and holding out his hand.

His burst of anger had frightened her though, and she hesitated for a long moment. Finally, she reached out her injured wrist to him, trembling a little. He lightly gripped the back of her hand, inspecting the thin double cuts that were slowly oozing blood.

"Not too bad," he said at last.

He slowly rose to his feet, gently pulling her up with him, and led her around the bed before sitting her down on the edge. She figured that he would just heal the minor wound with Materia, but he didn't. As she allowed him to bandage her wrist, she wondered why he was doing this, why he'd gotten so upset when he'd seen her with his sword. Nothing made sense.

She didn't even realize that she was staring at him until he looked up and met her gaze. He flushed slightly as he stood and backed away from her, and she found that peculiar.

------------------------

As the next few days wore on, he continued treating her kindly, bring her food and talking to her, even though she never responded. He didn't talk to her every day though; there were some times when she could tell that he was so enraged with whatever had happened earlier that he remained silent. She was still a prisoner, but gradually her fear and hatred of him began to lessen. After all, he had become her only company she got since she'd arrived at the Capital.

During one of the times he was talking to her, he told her that her sister was safe with Cloud, and her heart soared. Phaerie had been rescued. That made all the torture that she was enduring worth it; knowing that her sister was safe.

As the days went by, her wounds slowly began to heal. Her bruises faded to an ugly yellow-purple, and her arm wasn't so mangled anymore, but her ankle still hurt to walk on, and her back still ached.

She longed to go outside though, to feel the breeze on her skin again. But above all else, she wanted to be with her sister. She felt like she hadn't seen Phaerie in forever.

--------------------------

Limping over to the large tower window, she laid a hand on the glass as she peered out at the Sleeping Forest. Everything was so still, so calm. And yet, she had this odd feeling that something was wrong. She could hear footsteps racing up the stairs, and turned as the door was flung open.

Kadaj stalked into the room, heading for his sword which he'd forgotten. He never forgot, not since that incident, he'd never left Souba up here with Lynx, but he'd gotten careless this morning.

"Stay here," he said, his frustration staining his tone, as he snatched up his sword.

She tilted her head to the side, and from a single glance at her expression, he could tell what her silent question was.

"It's big brother," Kadaj said venomously, "He's come to save the day."

She blinked. Big brother? Cloud? So he was here? He was here to try and stop those three…? For some reason, she wasn't sure if she was happy about this knowledge…or bothered…and she couldn't explain why…


	6. Kidnapped

**Chapter Six – "Kidnapped"**

She actually found it hard to stay put, as Kadaj had told her. She kept pacing-well, limping-back and forth in front of the window, peering outside. However, she was unable to see anything, and that only frustrated her. She couldn't quite say why she was so uneasy about all of this. She wanted to be rescued, wanted to get out of here, and yet…

That was it; she couldn't stay up here any more. Turning, she limped across the room and snatched up her skull cap. Twisting up her hair, she jammed the cap down on her head. As she was about to turn to the door, she suddenly noticed her bladed knuckles lying on the top of the dresser. Freezing, she inclined her head slightly; how long had those been there? She hadn't seen them since the first time Kadaj had knocked her out.

Taking her weapons, she slid them into the pockets of her hoodie. Suddenly hearing the sound of an engine, she flinched, limping over to the window. Through the glass she could see Loz-the third brother whom she'd never actually met, just seen from a distance. He was racing towards the Capital on his motorcycle, and she had the sudden feeling that something big was about to happen. And she was right.

A shadow fell across the window, and she looked up. A dark figure was soaring down from the sky. Her eyes widened, and instinctively she stumbled out of the way. A split second later, the window shattered, sending glass flying across the room. The figure landed, and as she blinked, all she could register was long black hair and a tattered red cape. The figure turned to her, and she shrank back a little. He swept towards her and lifted her in his arms. She struggled briefly, but his voice, deep and warm, stilled her;

"It's alright. You're safe now."

-----------------

For being safe, she wasn't quite so sure that she was happy about it. She should be ecstatic, she knew; she was sitting in Seventh Heaven bar, with Phaerie standing by her side. Finally reunited with what family she had left. And yet, as she sat there slumped in her chair, gazing around at Cloud, Tifa, and Reno, she felt miserable. She felt ashamed for some reason. Ashamed because of Tifa's pitying expression. Because of the troubled, pondering look on Cloud's face. Her gaze flickered to Reno, and the pity in his bright blue eyes bothered her yet again. But also…she thought that the redhead looked frustrated. Turned out she was right. Yet again.

"You should be happy, yo," the Turk said at last, "We rescued you from those freaks."

Lynx sighed a little, shaking her head. She opened her mouth to speak, but as all the times before, uttered no sound. In fact, she hadn't spoken since…

Taking the pen and napkin that were sitting in front of her on the table, she wrote her response instead; "They'll be coming for me."

Tifa was the closest to her, and leaned over to read what the girl had written. The brunette frowned a little. "Are you sure?" she asked.

Lynx nodded. She could explain just why she was so positive about this; she just was.

"Cloud…" Tifa said, turning to the blonde.

"I know…" he said with a sigh, looking up, "I can't avoid it anymore. I'll have to fight him, to stop them before they can bring about the Reunion."

Lynx kept her gaze down on the tabletop, not wanting to look up. Something just felt so…off…

At last, she wrote again; "Make sure Phaerie stays safe."

Upon reading it, Tifa nodded. "Of course. I'll make sure of it myself," she smiled a little; "She'll be fine with Denzel and Marlene."

Lynx nodded, trying to let herself be comforted by this.

Cloud moved over to the windows, gazing outside for a long moment, "Tifa, get the kids upstairs," he said, turning at last.

Tifa nodded, taking Phaerie by the hand, "Come on," she said in that calm, soothing way of hers.

"Lynx…" Phaerie said softly.

Blinking, Lynx gazed at her baby sister. She nodded, smiling a little to comfort and encourage Phaerie.

Phaerie nodded in return, following after Tifa.

"Reno," Cloud said, "Stay here."

"What are you going to do?" Reno asked as Cloud started for the door.

"I've got to stop them," the blonde replied, pausing, and it was then that Lynx could hear the sounds of engines swiftly approaching. "I want you to stay here. Protect Tifa, Lynx, and the kids."

"Fine," Reno said finally, but he still didn't sound happy about it.

Cloud was gone after that without another word, and Lynx sat there blinking, wondering why she felt such a whirlwind of emotions like she did. She fidgeted with her hands as she sat there, gazing down at the table top. She was safe, Phaerie was safe. Soon, Cloud would take care of those three madmen, and she'd never have to worry about them hurting her ever again. So why was she feeling so…undecided?

She looked from the clock hanging on the wall, to the windows. Looking back and forth, she watched the minutes crawling by. The more time that passed, the more anxious she grew. She could hear Reno talking, but wasn't paying any attention to him. Then, finally, she couldn't take it any longer. Pushing back her chair, she stood suddenly. Reno fell silent as she turned to him, her head tilted to the side. She couldn't explain what she was about to do, he wouldn't understand even if she could explain. So she merely just shook her head and started for the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" he asked, sounding surprised.

She didn't say anything of course, just thinking to herself that he wouldn't understand.

"Hey," he repeated, gently catching her by the arm to stop her.

Twitching, she turned back to him. As her gaze flickered to the empty beer mug sitting on the table closest to her, an apologetic expression entered her eyes. She was already regretting what she was about to do, and silently apologized to him. In the blink of an eye, she'd snatched up the heavy mug and smashed it over the back of Reno's head. He went down like a load of bricks, her attack having happened so fast that the surprise hadn't even reached his expression yet. As she gazed down at the unconscious redhead, she silently apologized again.

Turning, she pushed open the door to the bar and walked out to the middle of the street. Looking from one direction to the other, she knew she had to figure out where they were. They… Shaking her head, she turned towards where the old highway was. Something told her to go that way, and so she did. She walked slowly at first, limping because of her sprained ankle.

Why was she doing this, she asked herself yet again. What was compelling her to do this, to go out of her way? And for what…? What could she accomplish from this? She found that she couldn't answer any of those questions. What had happened to her? Why was she suddenly unable to explain her actions? Had her trauma shaken her up so badly…?

Walking faster now, she winced every time she put weight on her bad ankle. Even if she could explain _why_ she was doing this, she knew that she _had_ to. Something drove her forward, and she was powerless to resist. With a jolt, she suddenly wondered if this was the same unexplainable force that had caused Kadaj's uncharacteristic kindness. Even the possibility of it caused her heart to beat faster. But if it was the same reason, did that mean…?

Overcome with impatience and anxiousness, she began to jog, the distance to the old highway seeming forever away, especially since she was on foot and not in the best of condition right now. The closer she got, the more aware she was of the sounds of a fight. She could hear metal clashing, screeching together, and an icy feeling of dread swept over her, making her shiver.

They _were_ on the highway, that proved it now, and she had to get there. Fast. She broke into a run, almost stumbling every time she walked on her bad ankle. The pressure each time made her gasp in pain, but she didn't slow down. She couldn't; she had to get there before something irreversible happened. And before her heart burst through her chest from worry. Worry…? She was worried…?

As she ran, the pieces started to fall into place, and the realization made her gasp just as much as the pain. Her scalp began to craw and itch, her skull cap becoming too tight, and so she ripped it off and flung it aside. Free now, her hair tumbled around her shoulders, a cool breeze washing over her scalp. She almost fell a couple of times, but managed to stay on her feet.

She was ready to collapse by the time she stepped foot on the ramp to the old highway, her lungs burning, her ankle consumed by pain so bad it felt like it was on fire, but she forced herself to keep going. She was almost there, she couldn't give up now. She could see them fighting now; saw their epic battle of wills and swords.

"Kadaj!"

Her first call was so weak and hoarse that she barely even heard it herself. She hadn't spoken in so long, that her voice sounded foreign to her. She didn't think she'd ever speak again until this moment.

"Kadaj!" She shouted again, her voice ripping through the air and ringing in her ears.


	7. Revelation

**A/N:** Thank you for the reviews! I am so so so sorry it took me so long to update X.X I'd forgotten I had this chapter written! -Flail- I'm so senile.

* * *

**Chapter Seven – "Revelation"**

He was focused utterly on the fight, all of his concentration on the flashing steel of their blades. He wouldn't let Cloud best him, wouldn't lose to big brother. He would prove that he was better than Sephiroth, more deserving of Mother's love. But Cloud was so determined…determined to stop what he saw as a threat to everything that he knew and loved. Was his determination…stronger than Kadaj's though? He was suddenly afraid that it was, that he would end up proving himself useless to Mother.

With these thoughts, his concentration on the battle began to slip, and he found himself losing ground. It was then that he heard some one very faintly calling his name. He figured that he was just imagining it though, and didn't react. A few minutes later, he heard his name called again, loud and clear. It was a female voice, and that sudden realization made him falter, swiftly turning his head to the side.

The sudden distraction from the battle allowed Cloud to strike a solid blow to his right shoulder with the flat of his Buster Sword. The force of it caused Kadaj to lose his footing and fall. But as Cloud stood above him with his sword raised, a figure suddenly threw itself between the two if them, pushing his Buster Sword aside with their hands.

"Cloud, don't!"

She was gasping for breath and trembling as she stood between the two warriors with her arms outstretched, and Kadaj suddenly recognized her. Apparently, at the same time, so did Cloud.

"Lynx?" the blonde said, appearing utterly dumbfounded at her sudden appearance.

"Cloud, please, don't," she repeated, trembling violently in her exhaustion, leaning slightly to one side to take weight off of her injured ankle.

By now, Kadaj was staring up at her with an expression that mirrored Cloud's, trying to figure out what the hell she was doing.

"Lynx?" Cloud said again, lowering his Buster Sword, ready to catch her if she collapsed.

"Don't…don't hurt him…" she gasped, her knees threatening to buckle.

Kadaj realized then that she was talking. It had been such a surprise to see her at all, that he hadn't even realized it until now. She hadn't spoken since that day…but she was now…to defend him?

"What are you doing?" Cloud asked, sounding calm despite his obvious confusion.

"Please, I know your reasons, and I know what he's done, but you can't kill him," Lynx said, her tone verging on begging. She seemed to be so determined to shield Kadaj from Cloud that she refused to lower her arms yet.

Kadaj himself hadn't spoken a word since she'd arrived, as if he were so surprised that he had been struck mute.

"What are you-what do you mean?" Cloud said.

"I…I…" Lynx hesitated, looking back at Kadaj over her shoulder. "I love him!" she finished in a rush, facing Cloud again as tears stung her eyes.

Her answer hit them like a tidal wave and they gaped at her with wide eyes. For a minute, no one moved. If Kadaj had been surprised before, he was utterly blown away now. This was something beyond any of his wildest thoughts. How could she…_why_ would she…?

"How can you love me?" Kadaj demanded suddenly, sounding outraged, "I'm a monster."

Lowering her arms finally, she turned to him, gazing down at him where he still sat. "Because," she said, still trying desperately to catch her breath, "You've shown me kindness; you've shown me that you care."

"But everything I've done to you and your sister," he said, fire burning in his Mako eyes, "All the pain I've caused you…"

She shook her head violently, a first tear sliding down her cheek. "I know that, but…" she broke off as the full force of what she was saying hit her.

It was like suddenly awakening from a dream; she now realized what she was saying, what she was doing. Her whole body hurt, her ankle was on fire, and she wanted nothing more than to just collapse, but she couldn't; she refused to let herself. There was a terrible pressure growing in her chest, and she felt like it was going to strangle her unless she did this. This was why…this explained everything. She knew it now, knew it but didn't quite understand it yet.

"But I love you…" she finished at last.

"But _why_?" he demanded venomously, climbing to his feet and using his slight height advantage to glare down at her.

He didn't know why he was upset; he was overjoyed to know that she loved him, and yet…it caused a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. It made him angry even, but watching the way she suddenly trembled before his burning glare made him feel guilty.

"You protected me, you cared!" Lynx shouted defiantly through her tears, "You stopped me from killing myself!"

Kadaj blinked at her outburst, taken aback for a moment. It was true; everything she was saying was true. He _had_ cared, he _had_ protected her from his brothers, he _had_ stopped her from killing herself with his sword. Without admitting it even to himself, this whole time since he'd met her, he'd slowly been falling in love with her, and for the first time that he could remember, he was speechless. He just gazed at her helplessly, as if wishing that some one could save him from his predicament. However, of course, there was no one.

"I love you…" she whispered again, tears streaking down her face.

Slowly, slowly, it was as if a veil was lifting from across his eyes, and he was seeing her for the first time since she'd jumped into the fight. She looked so young and fragile, even though she was probably as old as he was supposed to be, and he knew her to be a fighter. He could tell that she was utterly exhausted, trembling from weariness and pain from her no doubt inflamed injuries. Has she run the whole way here from where ever Cloud had been keeping her? Just to…save him?

Suddenly, he was struck with a thought; before, he remembered thinking that, without the bruises she'd once had, and if she were cleaned up, that she'd be pretty. He had been so, so wrong. At this moment, with the sun behind her, causing her wavy red-blonde hair to glow like fire, as if her face were framed by a halo, she wasn't pretty; she was gorgeous. She was the second most beautiful being that he'd ever laid eyes on.

With a body that didn't seem to be his own for a moment, he stepped closer to her and tentatively wrapped his arms around her. Some part of his subconscious said this was uncomfortable and awkward to him, but he didn't stop as he held her gently, like he was afraid to break her. He laid her head on his shoulder, pressing his gloved hand lightly to the back of her head. She began crying now, and abruptly her knees buckled, taking her down. He went down with her, sinking to his knees as he continued to hold her. Blinking his silver hair out of his eyes, he risked a look up at Cloud, who had been temporarily forgotten about.

The blonde was still just standing there staring at them. His eyes only were betraying how bewildered he still was. All thoughts of the battle seemed to have fled from his mind at this startling new revelation. He certainly couldn't fight Kadaj now, not with Lynx desperately hanging onto him, even if he _did_ know that the Remnant wanted to bring back Sephiroth.

Maybe…maybe things would be different now because of Lynx's interference. Maybe Kadaj wouldn't go through with his plans of the Reunion because of her. If he became Sephiroth, he'd be leaving her behind and jeopardizing her life, putting her at the mercy of the Nightmare. But how could he even know that Kadaj cared about Lynx? What if leaving her behind meant nothing at all to him?

There were so many possibilities, so many 'what-if's. But most of all, so many risks that he couldn't take. What if this was all a trick? Lynx could be a distraction, part of an elaborate set up. He couldn't risk the lives of so many other people, he couldn't put them in danger if Sephiroth did indeed return. It was so hard to decide, but he had to do what he thought was right. And even though he didn't like it very much right now, he knew he couldn't let Kadaj leave here today. There was too much of a risk.

With a heavy sigh, he shifted his grip on his Buster Sword. "I can't let you go…" he said quietly.

Couldn't…let him go? After everything, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. No; she didn't go through all of this just to have Cloud kill him anyway. Filled now with defiant rage, she pulled herself from Kadaj's arms and struggled to her feet. Turning on shaking legs to face Cloud, she pulled her bladed knuckles from her pockets.

"I can't let you hurt him," she declared, her voice laced with exhaustion. And despite this, she took up a battle stance.

"Lynx…" Cloud said softly, "Please…my fight isn't with you."

"It is if you want to fight Kadaj," she said firmly, though was swaying slightly on the spot.

By now, Kadaj had risen to his feet again; about to protest that he could handle himself and that she didn't need to do this, but he was still in a slight state of shock, and for a moment, the words wouldn't come. Did he really mean this much to her? Did she think he was worth all of this?

Before anyone could move or say anything more though, there was suddenly gunfire. Lynx flinched horribly, obviously the most surprised, and nearly fell over. As the gunfire persisted, Cloud was forced to dodge, bullets bouncing off his buster sword. Moving forward, Kadaj grabbed Lynx and pulled her back out of the way. She stumbled, falling against him, but he held her up easily. As he made sure that she was out of harm's way, he looked up to see where the source of the gunfire was.

"Go," Yazoo said firmly, seeming to have come up from nowhere.

Kadaj nodded, holding Lynx up with one arm and scooping up his Souba with his free hand. Sheathing his sword, he swung his arm behind her knees and lifted her as if she weighed no more than a feather. Loz was there now too, rounding on Cloud from the other side and keeping up the heavy fire with his own Velvet Nightmare. The blonde was kept so busy dodging so as not to be riddled full of bullet holes that he of course couldn't pursue his fight with Kadaj.

Cradling Lynx close to him so that she wouldn't be injured by what he was about to do, Kadaj dashed to the edge of the highway and leaped. He heard a strangled whine escape her throat as she clung to him, like she was afraid that he would drop her. But of course, he had no intention of doing that. She whimpered from the impact when he landed almost catlike on the pavement of the lower highway, but he hardly even noticed the jarring force. Straightening, he set her down on her feet and strode over to where his motorcycle was parked.

Swaying on the spot, she slid her bladed knuckles back into her jacket pockets and swallowed hard. Was everything…actually going to work out…? He was…going to take her with him, wasn't he? They were going to…. All at once, she felt incredibly tired and lightheaded.

"Kadaj…" she said weakly.

Turning at the sound of her voice, he saw how ashen pale she was, and knew a split-second before it happened. As her eyes rolled back and her legs collapsed, he was already striding towards her. He managed to catch her before she hit the ground, but couldn't stop from sighing; like things wouldn't have been difficult enough with her conscious…


	8. Unrequited?

**A/N:** Argh I've done it again, I'm so sorry. I was so busy lamenting over my writer's block for chapter nine that I utterly forgot I've had chapter eight completed for months. Well, here it is xD; And I apologize for my senility.

* * *

**Chapter Eight – "Unrequited?"**

She looked so frail and weak as she slept. So…human. It hadn't been long since their grand escape from Edge, and she hadn't woken since. They'd stopped on the edge of a forest, knowing that they couldn't go back to the Forgotten City because Cloud would find them there. And once more, there was the thought that they shouldn't be running from big brother, that they should have stayed and fought and completed their mission. He was not a coward, he never ran, never feared death, and yet…he had ran.

But Lynx had come for him…after she'd been rescued, she still came to try and protect him. She'd put herself at more risk again. All for him…it seemed…was he so important to her? Despite…despite everything? It was all so baffling to him. She loved him, so she said, but he hadn't thought any kind of love possible besides that shared with Mother and his brothers.

As he sat there watching her, with his legs drawn up to his chest and his chin resting on his knees, she slowly began to stir. Turning her head, she whimpered softly, the sound absolutely pitiful. He watched with shortened breath as she shifted about, a grimace passing over her face. At long last, she opened her eyes. She seemed so lost at first, and that was understandable, considering all that she'd been through.

When her gaze came to rest on him, her heart jumped and she froze. "Kadaj…" she said hesitantly, her voice weak and hoarse.

He was silent, merely continuing to gaze at her.

She made no attempt to get up, or to even sit up; she was too sore and exhausted. "Please…say something…" she pleaded.

"What am I supposed to say?" he spoke quietly.

"Something…anything…" she whispered.

"Big Brother shouldn't be finding us here…for a while, at least," he said, looking away from her. "Yazoo and Loz are looking for shelter."

"That's not what I meant…" Lynx said softly, clearing her throat and wincing because of it, "And you know it."

"It was stupid." He said, his tone changing as his gaze wandered somewhere behind her.

She stopped mid-motion as she'd been trying to sit up. "What?" She asked, startled.

"What you did. It was stupid." He said bluntly, his gaze still wandering, as he was very pointedly refusing to look at her.

"How…how can you say that?" she asked, utterly caught off guard, as she pulled herself the rest of the way to a sitting position.

"I'm only speaking the truth," Kadaj said, "You have no obligations to me or my brothers; you have no reason to risk your life for me."

She just gazed at him for a moment, trying to find the words to speak what she wanted to say. "Does…does what I did…mean nothing to you? Do _I_ mean nothing to you?"

He was silent again, just gazing off into the distance, eyes half hidden behind his silver locks.

To her, his lack of response seemed to speak everything; she supposed now that she must have been so very wrong in her assumptions that his kindness towards her actually meant something. She saw now that she'd made a grave error in judgment, and that it seemed her only choice was to just go and leave him to whatever fate would become of them.

"I see…" Lynx said softly, lowering her eyes to gaze down at the ground. "Well…I'll just be going then…" she forced herself to her feet, wincing as she did so and standing slightly unsteadily, "I'm…I'm sorry to have been such a _bother_ to you." The more she spoke, the closer she came to breaking down into tears. But she wouldn't, she couldn't; she refused to cry in front of him over this. If she truly meant nothing to him.

He still said nothing, made no move to stop her, and so she turned, making her way from the trees out onto the barren plains beyond. She forced herself not to look back, still limping as her ankle was even sorer from her race to stop Cloud, and bit her lip as she struggled against her tears. The dark, stormy sky above seemed to sympathize with her, as there was a deep rumble of thunder, and a rain drop landed square on her nose. Really, just what she needed; weather that matched her mood and would no doubt end with her becoming horribly ill from walking who knows how far in the rain.

Eventually, as she slowly made her way past boulders, and it began to rain lightly, she lost her war against her tears. They streaked down her cheeks, mixing with the rain, and she shook her head violently; who was she more upset with? Kadaj or herself? Him for being such a jerk or herself for thinking that he was more than just a jerk?

Suddenly, she slipped on a loose rock, her bad ankle gave out, and she started to pitch to the side, sure to go down and cause some sort of injury to add to the others she already had. She gasped as she flailed her arms and tried to keep her balance, closing her eyes as she didn't want to witness the impending fall, but gasped even more when an arm snaked around her waist and pulled her to the side, stopping her from falling and leaning her back against a tall, large boulder. For a moment, she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes, could only tremble and take short breaths as she felt her savior's body so close to hers, their arm still around her waist.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, not sure if she was going to be happy or not with the sight she expected to see. He ever so lightly leaned his forehead against hers as she finally gazed into his vivid blue-green eyes, their noses almost brushing. She swallowed hard, his being in such close proximity to her making her dizzy. Not that she was in any danger of falling from it, as he still had her pressed lightly against the boulder from saving her.

And yet, he uttered no apology, nothing. All he said to her was, "Come on…" as he started to pull her with him back towards the edge of the woods.

But she pulled away from him, slipping out of his grasp. "You can't just do that," she said, her voice trembling, "You can't just…just do that and say 'come on', and act like you expect everything to be all better now…"

Kadaj turned back to her, tilting his head to the side as if he didn't understand what she meant.

"It doesn't…it doesn't work that way…" she continued softly, her tears threatening to fall again, "You-"

She was suddenly silenced when he stepped back over to her and kissed her full on the lips, soft and tender but in no way hesitant. He held the kiss for a few seconds, and when he pulled back, she just gazed at him, even more surprised than she had been earlier. She blinked for a moment, unable to think.

"That doesn't…I don't-" she stammered.

He kissed her again, once more silencing whatever she'd been about to say. Kissing her tenderly, he gently backed her against the boulder again, lightly cupping her face in his gloved hands. This time she found herself kissing him back, and she heard him purr ever so softly, the sound sending a shiver down her spine. Tilting his head to the side to deepen the kiss, he ran his hands across her shoulders and down her sides to rest them at her waist. Kissing him back still, she lifted her hands to tangle her fingers in his silken hair. She felt his tongue trace softly along her lips, and she parted them slightly, allowing him to slide his velvet soft tongue into her mouth. Leaning more into the kiss, he wrapped his arms around her back, pressing close against her.

After a moment though, she lowered her hands to his shoulders, and gently tried to push him back. It took a second for him to comply, and when he did, the action seemed reluctant, and a little unsure. She didn't say anything, just stood there taking deep breaths, feeling more than a little dizzy and overwhelmed. Now what was she supposed to think…? What was this supposed to mean…? But she couldn't voice any of these questions, she could only gaze at him, feeling the steadily increasing rain hitting her flushed cheeks as her heart pounded, could only watch the way the rain was turning his silver hair shades darker, the way he gazed intently at her, as if trying to judge her reaction.

"Come on…" he said softly, the same thing he'd said earlier to cause her outburst, as he pulled away, keeping only one arm around her waist to steady her.

She shook her head, drawing back again, and this time he sighed.

"Why do you have to be so frustrating?" she asked quietly, trembling slightly now.

"I don't understand…what you expect from me…" he said, tilting his head slightly, as before, only now speaking the emotion as well.

"How…how can you not understand?" she said, her tone almost pleading now, tears threatening to spill from her eyes once more, "Don't you-"

"You act as if I'm_ supposed_ to know all of this," he interrupted, his tone suddenly a little venomous, "It's like you assume I know what to do and what to say. I _don't_ know. I don't know how to express what I'm experiencing right now, besides that kiss. I don't know how to cope with these…these feelings. It's strange, and unfamiliar, and-" No. He wouldn't say that. He wouldn't tell her, wouldn't tell _anyone_ that these foreign new emotions were scaring him a little. "-This isn't something I've done before." He said instead.

She just blinked at him for a moment, slightly taken aback. "I…you're supposed to just _tell_ me. How am I ever supposed to understand what you're feeling, what you're trying to say, if you don't just _tell_ me?"

But that was the point, Kadaj thought bitterly to himself, he didn't know how to tell her. Didn't she get that? He simply didn't know how. It wasn't in his nature to admit something of this sort. It felt almost like a weakness, and part of him rebelled against that; he was a warrior, a leader. Leaders didn't express weaknesses…did they? All of this was horribly confusing; he wasn't quite sure _what_ he was supposed to be feeling at this point, and the frustration was starting to get to him, made him feel like he just wanted to slash something to pieces to free himself from all of this…confusion and frustration. And he was also a little worried that if he didn't walk away now, he'd end up taking his frustration out on her…and that would be something he could never undo…

"Forget it…" he muttered bitterly before turning and starting to make his way back to the forest.

For a moment, she just stood there, gazing after him, unsure of what to do, her heart pounding in her ears. She didn't know what to say anymore…all she knew was that she couldn't let him walk away…just like she hadn't been able to let Cloud fight him… And the longer she watched him moving away from her, the more anxious she got. She had to do _something_; she couldn't just stand here. Not after everything she'd been through.

"Kadaj…" She called after him, her voice still too weak and hoarse to travel very far, but loud enough that he was sure to hear her.

But he didn't stop, he just kept on walking.

"Kadaj!" she called again, but it didn't do any good; he still didn't stop.

She started after him now, her still swollen ankle hindering her slightly, as she had to be careful not to slip again like she had before. After a moment though, she broke into an almost-run, covering the distance separating them more swiftly. All at once she flung her arms around his shoulders from behind, her sudden weight leaning on his back causing him to stumble a step. They were both silent as she held onto him, burying her face against the back of his shoulder.

"Please…I know there's a reason why you expressed such kindness after what Yazoo did to me…why you stopped me that day…why you took me with you, why I'm here with you now," she pleaded softly, "There's a reason you kissed me like that… Please…"

He laid his hands over hers, brushing his thumbs over the backs of her hands, and was silent for what seemed like an eternity before speaking. "I…care about you…" he said quietly, his voice almost inaudible, "I don't understand it. Is this…? I've never felt this way about anyone else before. It's not logical…it's so confusing…"

"It's usually not logical…" she said, "It comes from here," she moved one slightly trembling hand over his heart, "And it can be one of the most confusing things. But it can also be one of the most beautiful… You have to believe in it, trust it."

"Believe…in it?" he asked, sounding unsure of what she meant.

"Yes," she replied softly, her voice slightly choked with tears, "Believe in its existence. Accept what you're feeling. Accept and trust that some one else cares about you too, that some one loves you. That I…"

Gently, he untangled himself from her arms, turning to her to hold her close. "I know you do," he said softly, "All that you've done for me. If it weren't for you…I'd be dead by now."

She didn't say anything, not sure what _to_ say, as she pulled back slightly to look at him.

"I…I'm sorry for what I said before," he finally managed. "Can we find shelter now? You're going to get sick out here in the rain."

She nodded, looking down to the ground for a moment. "Thank you," she murmured.

He smiled slightly, though it seemed a bit unsure still, and swept her up in his arms, causing her to squeak softly in surprise. "What," he said, "You didn't think I was going to let you walk back with that ankle, did you?"

She blushed, nuzzling her head against his shoulder to hide this, and didn't answer, sliding her arms around his neck as he started to carry her back towards the trees.


End file.
